The Senior Connections meeting was held at the Abrahams Branch Library on Tuesday April 15th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The meeting’s purpose was “Seniors in the Omaha community do not always receive the services they need. Many are not aware of programs designed for them which affect their quality of life. In this project we will bring senior service providers together to define the problem which keeps seniors from being aware of and utilizing all available services.” The goal was to “Convene a meeting of senior service providers to identify and uncover problems which impede appropriate services.” More

The facilitators did an excellent job of introducing themselves and the project. They described the meeting’s purpose, goals, and guidelines and made all the participants feel welcome and safe. Everyone was encouraged to share from the introductions through the end of the meeting. More

Micki Dietrich and I led a conversation with community members who are involved with senior care and specifically interested in “aging in place” at the Abrahams Branch Library Meeting Room on October 29th. Nebraska has a significant and growing population of aging adults (including baby boomers). Many of these adults would prefer to age at home. According to the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs and Research, the number of Nebraskans over 65 will grow more than 30% by 2020. At this current rate of growth, services for this population will be stretched beyond their limits. Since Douglas County has many agencies that offer services to aging adults, it would be beneficial for these organizations to streamline services and work together to provide new services. Micki and I proposed to convene a meeting of key Douglas County organizations working with senior living services to look for opportunities to create connections and develop new services. More